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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22358860">Hiking Essentials: A backpack, plenty of water, and a Spider-kid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwifeather/pseuds/kiwifeather'>kiwifeather</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, Irondad, Irondad fluff, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, That's it, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark bonding with his kids, endgame? don't know her, it's just fluff you guys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:34:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,295</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22358860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwifeather/pseuds/kiwifeather</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgan, Peter, and Tony enjoy each other's company on a hike through the woods while Peter is staying with them for the weekend. Father-and-son bonding ensues </p><p>(Takes place after the snap but Tony survives because this is the good timeline and we know that Tony deserved a happy ending)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker &amp; Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) &amp; Tony Stark, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>141</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hiking Essentials: A backpack, plenty of water, and a Spider-kid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! This is just a little drabble of irondad fluff, written purely because I rewatched Endgame a few days ago and had Feelings about Tony's death.</p><p>(p.s I haven't written anything in ages so.... be forgiving with me haha)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Mr. Stark, hurry up! We’re almost at the top!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony, huffing loudly, glances up from the rocky trail he’s concentrating on as he clumsily tries to navigate his way without tripping over his own two feet. He can just barely make out the kid’s form up ahead-- bounding up the path with Morgan clinging tightly to his back-- and though they’re half-obscured by the tall pines surrounding them, he can tell that Peter isn’t fatigued in the slightest despite the 40 pound child he’s currently lugging around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Himself, on the other hand..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, let’s just say Tony is relieved that Pepper had an emergency meeting in the city that afternoon and couldn’t come with them per their original plan. The way he’s panting after just forty-five minutes of hiking is, frankly, embarrassing. Granted-- the incline is pretty severe, and he’s not as young and spry as he used to be-- but even so, he can’t help but feel slightly discouraged at the reality that Peter could probably jog up and down the mountain ten times over in the time it’d take him to make it to the top once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damn that spider agility.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony putters along, dragging his feet as he closes the last bit of distance between himself and the kids. He looks up and catches Peter smirking at him, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon Mr. Stark, do you need me to give you a piggy-back ride too?” Peter teases. Morgan giggles behind him and doesn’t miss a beat as she follows her older brother’s lead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah Daddy, Petey is super good at giving piggy-back rides, and you look </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>tired!” She adjusts her arms and lets her head rest atop Peter’s shoulder, grinning innocently at Tony. “Your face looks like a tomato!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony rolls his eyes in mock annoyance and reaches out to brush away the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail, tucking it securely behind her ears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t look like little ragamuffin gremlins, like you two.” He playfully flicks Peter’s nose and the boys mouth falls open in indignance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I was only offering to help-- Morgan is the one who said you look like a tomato!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I was telling the truth!” Morgan counters, smiling sweetly. “Mommy says we should always tell the truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony snorts, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ve got me there, little Miss.” He says fondly. “Speaking of Mommy, I promised her that I wouldn’t let anyone get dehydrated today. So...:” He turns around, shrugs off his backpack, and unzips the biggest pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Water break, kiddos!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He digs around for a moment and then tosses Morgan’s purple water bottle over his shoulder, counting on Peter’s spidey sense to kick in. Without fault, the kid catches it effortlessly and unscrews the lid before handing it to Morgan, who’s still clinging tightly to his back. She takes it, quickly gulps down some water, and hands it back to Peter, who sets it down at his feet before taking his own blue bottle from Tony’s outstretched hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony listens as the kids chat happily, and smiles as he watches Morgan whisper and point excitedly at a yellow butterfly that flutters around their heads before landing on a tree branch just out of reach. He takes a sip from the plastic water bottle Pepper had supplied him with before they had left this morning-- in his haste to get Morgan up and ready he had forgotten to pack his own provisions. But his lovely and ever-prepared wife had pressed it into his hands as she kissed him goodbye, and a knowing smile graced her lips as she had ushered them all out the door. It’s times like these when Tony can’t help but reflect on the defining moments of his life-- reflect on all that he had lost, gained, and then almost lost again when the stones nearly tore him apart. Every day he’s reminded of how lucky he is that they hadn’t; every kiss from Pepper, every giggle from Morgan, every time Peter walked into the lakehouse and hugged him like he’d never get another chance too-- they’re all reminders of what made him grasp so hard to life instead of slipping away on that ravaged battlefield. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony’s thoughts are interrupted by a loud shriek from Morgan, and he looks up to see her wiping at a spatter of water that Peter must have splashed in her face. She reaches down and tries to snatch Peter’s bottle out of his hand, but Tony scrambles forward and grabs it before she can, eager to avoid an all-out water fight before they’ve even made it to the top of the mountain. Morgan pouts as he zips up his backpack, the water safely contained inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright kiddos,” Tony swings his bag back over his shoulder, “let’s finish up this nature walk. The sooner we get home the better-- I can practically hear Mom’s massage chair calling my name,” he jokes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s a flash of worry in Peter’s eyes as he hoists Morgan higher up on his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Stark, we can go back if you need to,” he says anxiously, “I mean, Dr. Cho said to take it easy, and I thought this trail would be fine, but maybe it’s too much…” Peter bites his lip in concern and Tony feels a rush of affection toward the kid-- these days he worries over him when Tony so much as sneezes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I’m just kidding, kid,” Tony pats Peter’s shoulder assuringly. “What do you think, should we race to the top?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter’s look of concern dissolves into a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No offense, Mr. Stark, but I think we both know who’d win.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah daddy,” Morgan chimes in, “Me and Petey would win! We’d probably be waiting for you at the top for hooours!” Peter raises an eyebrow and smirks in agreement, and Tony rolls his eyes at the both of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah yeah, let’s just get going before I change my mind.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They shuffle up the path together, and Peter sticks right by Tony’s side this time rather than rushing ahead, much to Morgan’s chagrin. Tony, already breathing too heavily to hold a conversation, listens to Morgan point out things to Peter from her perch on his back: a funny shaped rock in front of them, a tiny patch of purple and blue flowers blooming just off the trail, a bushy brown squirrel skittering up a tree to their left. Peter listens attentively and comments on everything, and Tony silently marvels at how quickly Peter had fallen into the role of a doting older brother. The two had met just a little over six months ago, when Pepper </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened</span>
  </em>
  <span> to bring Morgan to the hospital the same day Peter was there visiting Tony. They had both been distant and shy at first-- Peter being unsure of where he fit into Tony’s seemingly new life, and Morgan still adhering to the rules of “stranger danger.” Tony remembers feeling discouraged when Peter had stepped out of the room after a few hours of strained conversation between the three of them, and was taken by surprise when Peter re-entered a few minutes later, looking nervous and holding two small packets of m&amp;m’s in his hand that he must’ve gotten from the vending machine down the hall. When he offered one of the packets to Morgan she brightened up immediately, and Tony watched with warmth blooming in his chest as the two of them got to work sorting out the different colored chocolates, placing them in little piles at the foot of his hospital bed. For the rest of the visit it had been smooth sailing between the two, and by the time Happy had arrived to take Peter home Morgan was already planning their next “play-date.” Tony smiles fondly at the memory as they plug along, Morgan continuing to chitter happily to Peter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After ten more minutes of (Tony) huffing and puffing, their party of three finally reaches the peak of the little mountain they spent the last hour climbing up. The trees have thinned out a bit, which gives them a clear view of the surrounding forest below and wide-open sky above. Peter crouches down and Morgan scrambles off his back while whispering a soft “thanks, Petey,” into his ear. The older boy smiles as he straightens back up and he pats Morgan softly on the head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anytime, Mo,” he whispers back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Morgan grins and hugs his legs before skittering over to her dad, jumping up and down in excitement,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We did it, Daddy!” She shouts, pumping her fists into the air, “we made it to the top!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We sure did, Morguna,” Tony gives her a high-five, “but I’m pretty sure Peter did most of the work.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I helped! I talked to him a lot, so he wouldn’t get bored. Right Petey?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter nods in agreement as he lowers himself to the ground, settling down in a patch of soft green grass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s right Mr. Stark, Morgan was a top-notch hiking buddy! You, on the other hand…” he trails off as Tony sits down beside him, and gives the man a playful nudge. Tony shakes his head in warning,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch it kid, you’d better be careful about how that sentence ends or you might not have a bed to sleep in tonight.” Tony continues to feign annoyance as he looks at Peter with a pointed stare. “Y’know, I’m getting kinda tired of you always taking Morgan’s side. I should’ve known letting you two meet was a mistake,” he grumbles, now fixing his gaze on Morgan, who is attempting to flip over a rock that’s far too heavy for her a few feet away from them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s not my fault that it’s clear who the superior Stark is,” Peter teases as he lifts his arms into a stretch above his head. Tony, choosing to take advantage of the brief moment of vulnerability, whips around and playfully shoves Peter backwards until the kid is lying flat on his back in the grass. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You asked for it, kid!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey-- wha?? I meant Pepper!!” Peter lies and laughs as he pushes Tony away, but makes no attempt to sit back up. He stretches his legs out in front of him and pillows his hands behind his head, shifting so that he can look up at Tony. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for letting me visit this weekend,” the boy says lightly. “Happy is staying at the apartment with May until Monday, and I think I would’ve gone crazy listening to the two of them coo over each other.” Tony bites down a laugh and listens to Peter lament.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, they’re a cute couple and all, but Mr. Stark,” Peter shudders and a pained look crosses his face, “I have enhanced hearing, and we have thin walls.” Tony can’t contain his laughter after that, and he clutches helplessly at his chest as he tries to regain composure. Only after a solid minute of laughing (Peter looks more and more miffed by the second) does he manage to get words out, wiping at his eyes as he does so,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh God, Pete,” he wheezes, “you’re welcome to stay as long and as often as you want, no one should have to listen to Happy </span>
  <em>
    <span>mmph</span>
  </em>
  <span>--” he’s cut off as a red-faced Peter hastily reaches up and smothers Tony’s mouth with his hand. Tony, laughing again, pulls his head away, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gross kid, your hand is covered in dirt!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, it’s not as dirty as whatever you were about to say!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Touch</span>
  <span>é</span>
  <span>,” Tony complies, wiping at his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter settles back down, both hands resting beneath his head once again, eyes pointed toward the sky above them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyways,” he glares at Tony, who stifles another chuckle, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like being here with you guys. I love Queens, I do, but… there are days when it just gets so loud, too loud to block out. And sometimes I think, like, no matter how much I do, it’ll never be enough. There’ll always be someone in danger, someone who needs help…someone who I can’t get to in time,” Peter ends his sentence with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony watches as the kid trails off, and seeing sadness color Peter’s young features makes his own heart warp with sympathy. He wants to speak up, to offer words of comfort, but they both know that the sentiment would be empty. They both know that what Peter said was true: you can’t save everybody. They share a brief look of fortitude and then Peter’s gaze shifts again, this time coming to rest on Morgan. Tony follows suit and they both watch her for a bit, smiling as they watch her whisper softly to a tiny spider that skitters around her feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter takes a deep breath before continuing, picking up where he left off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But, being here with you helps. You, and Morgan, and Pepper, you guys are like...part of my family now. If that’s okay,” he adds hastily, because of course he still doubts his place by Tony’s side, still sometimes feels like he’s intruding despite the plethora of “I love you’s” that Tony has showered him with since the reversal of the snap. Tony smiles softly and lifts a hand to the kid’s head, gently smoothing his hair back before resting it lightly on Peter’s cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course that’s okay, kid. You’re just as much a part of this family as I am.” Tony looks at Peter fondly, and Peter beams right back up at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Besides,” Tony chirps, gingerly patting the boy’s head, “I’m pretty sure Morgan made Pepper draw up a binding contract months ago. You’re stuck with us now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter laughs, and the sound of it makes Tony’s heart glow bright with love.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I'm going to try and write more this year, so if you guys have any irondad prompts, let me know below!!</p><p>comments and kudos are all appreciated :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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